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Barbieri was a stringer for Sport magazine before he joined KNBR in 1984 to host his own sports talk show. In 1996, he was teamed with Tolbert, a former NBA player. Barbieri's nickname is "The Razor" because of his raspy voice,[3] thought by some listeners to resemble a barber's electric razor, and his "no-nonsense" approach to interviews. The nickname, which may have also been inspired by his surname's resemblance to "barber," was given to him by longtime San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen. In 2007, Barbieri renewed his four-year contract with KNBR through November 2011.[4] Barbieri was known to end his show with, "Angels fly because they take themselves lightly," a quote from Gilbert K. Chesterton.

Barbieri is reportedly a vegetarian and a believer in animal rights.[7] In 1995, Barbieri avoided jail time by pleading no contest to a third-offense drunk driving charge; he spent 120 days in a residential treatment program.[8] Following the incident, Barbieri settled down, giving up what he called "25 years of sex, drugs and rock and roll." In 2000, Barbieri fathered a son, Tayte Ali, via in-vitro fertilization, using an egg donor and a surrogate mother.[7] In 2004, the American Diabetes Association named Ralph Barbieri one of five "Bay Area Father of the Year" award winners.[9]